I did leave convinced we'd seen the best of Lawrence, Kansas, however, where we took in a basketball game at Kansas University after touring the bustling little downtown. Thanks to my fellow bureau chief – the most rabid college basketball fan I know – for having the foresight to get tickets to what must have been the cultural event in Kansas that night. (Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!)
While training the new reporter based in Olathe, Kansas, on a subsequent trip a few weeks later, I asked him about a barbecue spot I'd seen advertised on billboards.
While that place was decent, he said, he wanted to bring me to Joe's Kansas City BBQ. It turns out the reporter we'd hired in Kansas City, Missouri, had also recommended that spot to my fellow bureau chief.
When I met the Kansas reporter there days later, I was hopeful this was the spot I'd been seeking. The board listing the food was to the left of a metal line with kitchen workers behind it. An old man with an impressive beard and a stained apron took orders. I asked our reporter what was good. He recommended the Z-Man Sandwich, comprised of sliced slow-smoked beef brisket, provolone and onion rings on a toasted Kaiser roll. Since I'm lactose-intolerant – some would say hostile – I asked for the sandwich without cheese and with a side of beans, also a recommendation from the reporter.
While moving down the line I peered at the cooks busy cutting meats, dishing out sides, plating food. At the other end, we paid and then waited for a cook to call our order.
The modestly priced fare came served on a slab of brown paper placed on cafeteria-style trays. I grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water and maneuvered us to a table where we could eat our food and watch the first day of the men's NCAA basketball tournament while talking about the job.
Joe’s tables come equipped with a plastic dispenser if one wants to add sauce, and extra napkins in case things get messy. I took a bite before realizing my sandwich could benefit from a dollop or two. The dark brown sauce squirted out, some of it missing the burger and hitting the plate. I took another bite. The supple Kaiser roll blended gracefully with the crunch of the onion rings. The sauce gave just the right amount of zest to the ever-so-slightly smoky brisket.
I had to call the boss.
"We messed up," I fairly yelled into the phone.
Slightly startled and perhaps a bit concerned, Girdner asked what I meant. I assured him the reporter did well during training and shared my experience at my new favorite barbecue spot in the Kansas City area, explaining that in hindsight we should have opted for a more economical option a few weeks before.
Later that night, while watching the end of the first day of the tournament and munching on a delicious fried catfish po'boy, I told the other bureau chief the story of Joe's Kansas City BBQ and said I wanted to check out Carolina barbecue next.
When I asked if he would consider letting me join our Southeast bureau chief if we ever have to hire in the Carolinas again, he refused to consider the notion, quite loudly and firmly.
Fair enough. Based in New York, he is much closer and I'm usually the one arguing on the side of logic and prudence.
I'll just have to use some of my cherished vacation time, making sure to schedule the trip around a home Tar Heels game.
I've also made plans with an uncle who lives outside of Dallas to make my next scheduled layover an overnighter so we can catch up and enjoy some local beers together. If he didn't know I'd insist on getting some barbecue as well, he does now.
Hopefully I won't manage to offend you, dear reader, when my research is complete, but I make no promises. Speaking truth to barbecue power and all.
Courthouse News Service has covered courts in western Missouri and eastern Kansas for more than a decade. CNS recently began daily in-person coverage of the Johnson County District Court in Kansas and provides regular coverage of all state courts in Missouri as well as multiple Kansas courts including those in Sedgwick, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Douglas and Riley counties.
Jackson County, Missouri Facts
County Seat: Independence (Kansas City serves as second county seat and government seat.)
Population: 683,000
Named After: President Andrew Jackson
Greene County, Missouri Facts
County Seat: Springfield
Population: 285,000
Named After: American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene
Clay County, Missouri Facts
County Seat: Liberty
Population: 233,000
Named After: Secretary of State Henry Clay
Read more CNS coverage of western Missouri news
Federal Judge Lifts Abortion Restrictions in Missouri
Kansas City Accused of Flouting EMT Overtime Ruling
Businesses Challenge Missouri Donation Limits
Johnson County, Kansas Facts
County Seat: Olathe
Population: 574,000
Named After: Missionary Thomas Johnson
Sedgwick County, Kansas Facts
County Seat: Wichita
Population: 508,000
Named After: Union Army Major General John Sedgwick
Shawnee County, Kansas Facts
County Seat: Topeka (also the state capital)
Population: 178,000
Named After: Shawnee Native American Tribe
Read more CNS coverage of Kansas news
Kansas Legislators Repudiate Governor by Overriding Tax Veto
Kansas Bar Shooter Faces Hate Crime Charges
Kansas College Yanks School Newspaper Over Bad Press
Kansas Secretary of State Fined for Misleading Court
Post-Election Voter Registration Battle Continues in Kansas
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